The present invention relates to a malfunction position detection system and, more particularly, to a malfunction position detection system for a modular telecommunication facility, i.e., a cellular radio base station, a mobile switching center, a private branch exchange, a private automatic branch exchange, ect., wherein the telecommunication facility is constructed out of a plurality of modular cabinets.
A section of a cellular communication system is illustrated in FIG. 1, which illustrates ten cells C1-C10. Normally, a cellular system would be implemented with more than ten cells. However, for the purposes of simplicity, the present invention can be explained using the simplified representations illustrated in FIG. 1. For each cell C1-C10, there is a base station B1-B10, with the same reference number as the corresponding cell. Each base station is responsible for handling calls to and from mobile stations M1-M9 that are located in each respective cell. FIG. 1 also illustrates a mobile services switching center MSC which is connected to all ten base stations by cables or by wireless techniques such as Ericsson Mini Link, a registered trademark of Ericsson. The mobile services switching center is also connected to a fixed public switching telephone network or a similar fixed network. The mobile services switching center controls each base station.
In large electronic systems such as cellular telephone communication systems such as the one illustrated in FIG. 1, it is necessary to package large amounts of equipment. To package large amounts of electrical equipment such as equipment typically belonging to mobile switching centers or radio base stations of cellular telephone communication systems, i.e., printed board assemblies, combiners, high powered equipment, ac/dc equipment, antennae near parts, distribution blocks, power connection blocks, power splitters, etc., it is desirable to provide a modular packaging system that simplifies system design, customization, and expansion, as well as simplifying system construction and maintenance.
One such modular packaging system is disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/990,515 to Anderson et al. entitled "Modular Packaging System," which is assigned to the same assignee as the present invention. In the disclosed modular packaging system, two or more modules are arranged horizontally or vertically relative to one another. Each module includes electrical equipment, a cabinet in which the electrical equipment is disposed, and a fan assembly for forcing air through the cabinet to cool the electrical equipment. A base station is built by using a plurality of these cabinets. All cabinets have a uniform design and size which gives each base station its modularity.
Each base station in a mobile cellular system usually is comprised of several functional sections: a control section; a modem section; an antenna near section; and a support section. The control section handles the communication between the base station and the mobile services switching center (MSC). In addition, the control section contains the hardware for radio traffic control, statistics, and control of the modem support and antenna near sections. The control section can also handle communication and control of microbase station equipment. The control section contains software loadable hardware. The modem section converts speech and digital information into radio waves and vice versa. The modem section also performs measurements to determine radio transmission quality. The modem section consists of non-loadable hardware, however the program memory of a dual mode transceiver device can be changed by a command from the mobile services switching center. The antenna near section contains equipment associated with forward and reverse radio frequencies such as amplifiers, combiners and multi-couplers. The antenna near section can also contain equipment for looping of radio signals, output power measurement, RF calibration, external alarm collection, and control of external equipment. The antenna near section consists of non-loadable hardware. However, the program memory of some antenna near section devices can be changed by a command from the mobile services switching center. Finally, the support section provides a power supply to the base station hardware. The support section consists of ac/dc converters, control equipment, and battery backup. The support section consists of non-loadable hardware. However, the program memory of a power control unit can be changed by a command from the mobile services switching center.
As in almost all electrical systems, malfunctions or system errors can occur. When a malfunction occurs in a cellular radio base station or another telecommunication facility, one known method for detecting the malfunction so that the malfunction can be fixed is to use malfunction detecting diagnostics at the station. However, running test programs on site at a base station often involves disconnecting the entire base station from operation. Since it is not desirable to disconnect a base station from operation, it is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method for detecting malfunctions in a radio base station wherein the malfunction is detected and recorded. This information can then be used to ease repairs, trace system errors and provide information for further product improvements.